


Cabin fever

by Hawkseyebrow



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: M/M, Winter, shameless fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-20 05:50:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17016924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hawkseyebrow/pseuds/Hawkseyebrow
Summary: Newton and Hermann get sent into the field. They're alone in the middle of nowhere and have a free evening all for themselves.





	Cabin fever

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lvslie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lvslie/gifts).



“Come on, it's gonna be fun!” yelled Newton, wrapping a giant, fluffy scarf around Hermann's neck. His excited voice could be heard loud and clear even through thick, warm ear flaps of Hermann's hat.

“I've already said ‘yes’, Newton.” murmured the mathematician, watching the other man tuck the ends of Hermann’s scarf into his parka, trying to make them lay flat on his chest. He couldn't help but feel pleasantly warm all over from the sensation of his husband fussing over him.

“I know, but you still seem unsure.” said Newton with a shrug, finally zipping Hermann up and looking over him. The other man felt more than ready for a walk in the middle of an alaskan winter. The only visible piece of skin was some pale whiteness around his eyes. All of his bits were covered with thermoactive or just purely thick clothing.

“And I will probably seem unsure until we get back, darling,” mumbled Hermann from behind a few layers of fabric “but it doesn’t mean that I don’t want to or won’t go with you.” he finished and grabbed his cane from where it was resting against a wall.

Newton’s face split into an enormous grin. He quickly threw his own dinosaur-themed scarf around his neck with much less care than he invested in dressing Hermann and stopped right before the front doors of their little cabin, trying to wrestle a pair of gloves onto his hands and open it simultaneously.

“We’re not in a hurry, are we?” chuckled Hermann, patiently waiting for his spouse to get his bearings.

“No, of course not. I mean, you’re done with your readings and I’m done with collecting my samples, so work-wise we’re just waiting for a transport back to the Shatterdome, right? You don’t need to work on anything else today, do you?” having managed to wrestle gloves onto his hands during the monologue, Newton looked at Hermann expectantly.

“I don’t. That’s why we don’t need to rush. Let’s just enjoy the scenery and each other’s company, alright honey?” Hermann put his free hand on his husband’s shoulder. Little wrinkles appeared around his eyes, betraying a smile hidden behind the scarf. He wanted Newton to take a breath and relax before they headed out. 

As much as he loved seeing his lover running around and pointing at things, vibrating with barely-contained excitement and joy, today he wasn’t in any shape to keep up with him. The cold has been bothering him since they started this assignment and they didn’t have that much time for themselves lately. He wanted to savour it as long as it lasted.

“Sure, fine, it’s cool.” suddenly, Newton cracked up. “Like it’s literally cool, because it’s january!” he explained quickly, making Hermann roll his eyes in amusement.

“A rock star, scientist and a comedian, I have truly hit the jackpot, haven’t I?” grumbled the mathematician dryly, gesturing for the other man to open the bloody door and get out already.

“Of course you did! I mean your list lacks some traits, like my looks and the natural charm,” Newton started enumerating while holding the doors open for Hermann.

“And the modesty…” the other man chimed in, carefully stepping outside.

“Yes! And of course the aura of pure masculinity that I emanate.” added Newton, flexing a little. It had basically no effect under the amount of clothes he had on himself but the intention was certainly there.

“I don’t know, darling. I think I’m getting more of a gremlin vibes from you.” said Hermann, pretending to evaluate his spouse while he was locking the door. Said spouse turned around and clutched at his heart in mock-offense.

“How dare you?!” he squeaked, moving towards Hermann, effortlessly slotting himself against his good side and putting an arm around his waist. They had quickly discovered that this position not only allowed Newton to belay Hermann on uneven or slippery surfaces, but also satisfied their need for closeness.

They fell into a comfortable silence after that and strolled lazily down a barely-distinguishable track. There was something very soothing in the way snow made the whole world seem quiet and calm. The only sounds that were audible were the creaking of the snow beneath their feet and a muffled humming of a frozen stream that was going parallel to the path they’d taken.

Once in a while Newton would squeeze Hermann’s arm and point at something. It might have been a bird, an interesting-looking shape in the snow or the way the light reflected on an icicle. No matter what it was, neither of them ever broke the silence.

At least not until they nearly completed a circle and were coming back towards the cabin they considered theirs, even though technically the PPDC only rented it out for them to conduct their field research regarding the latest kaiju attack and then go back to the Shatterdome.

There was a waterfall there, completely frozen into a strangely beautiful pattern. During warmer seasons water flew down from it into a small lake and then created the stream they followed at the beginning of their walk.

“Hermann…” Newton's voice sounded even rougher and higher than normally when it suddenly cut through the silence both of them had grown accustomed to. Hermann jerked slightly in surprise and followed his husband's line of sight.

At the very middle of the lake he could see a young deer, trying and failing to stand up on the slippery surface. After a few seconds of observation it was quite obvious that the animal was trapped.

“Stay here” said Newton, letting go of Hermann's waist and making a step towards the frozen surface.

“Are you crazy?!” Hermann raised his voice and grabbed the other man by his shoulder, yanking him back towards himself. He eyed the lake warily. “The ice is too thin, it'll break.” he declared, not relaxing his death grip on his spouse. He wasn't going to risk Newton just jumping into action without any consideration.

“It’s okay! It holds the deer, doesn’t it?” reasoned the biologist, enveloping Hermann's hand in his and praying it open.

“Yes, but it would have to hold you both at the same time, you idiot!” Hermann felt anger and fear making his heart rate speed up. He couldn't actually asses the thickness of ice based on its appearance, but his mind immediately supplied all of the possible outcomes of Newton falling in and he just couldn't let that happen, no matter how unlikely it was.

On the other hand, he already knew that there was nothing he could do to make his husband decide not to do something incredibly stupid and sacrificial once he'd had the idea. And he had to admit that leaving the deer on its own did seem cruel and just simply wrong. And Newton was looking at him so pleadingly...

“At least wait and let me get some rope?” he sighed after a moment, his resolve gone for good embarrassingly fast.

“I'll go get it!” said Newton excitedly, jogging back to the cabin before Hermann could react. He looked back at the deer, then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was fine, nothing was going to happen. 

The creaking of snow warned Hermann that someone was coming. When he turned, he could see Newton holding a coil of rope in one hand and quickly tying a bowline knot around his waist with the other.

“There” the biologist handed him the rope and smiled gently, the corners of his eyes wrinkling a little. Hermann just nodded. As soon as Newton's foot touched the ice, he squeezed the rope like his life depended on it. In a sense, it did.

For all his earlier confidence, Newton carefully tested the ice when he was still on the shallow end of the lake, even jumping a little in place. It held, but Hermann could hear a little voice in his head telling him that the ice was always thinner in the middle of a lake.

But it didn’t break. Newton was able to reach the deer and carefully lift it up. It must have laid there for some time, because it was unusually still for a wild animal being handled by a human. It did buckle once though, when Newton was carefully making his way back towards the shore. The motion made him stumble and the ice to creak dangerously beneath his feet. Both scientists freezed and held their breaths. 

When nothing else happened, Newton resumed his slow walk back, finally setting the deer on a snow and watching it skitter away into a nearby forest.

“Not even a ‘thank you’, rude!” laughed the biologist after it. A wave of relief washed over Hermann, who threw his hands over his husband's shoulders and hugged him aggressively.

“Don't you dare do anything like that ever again.” he whispered loud enough for Newton to hear.

“Seriously Hermann, nothing happened. I used to skate on lakes like this all the time when I was a kid.” Newton replied. “And you know that I'd lie if I made such promise.” he added, pulling away and taking the rope from Hermann to link their hands together. “Come on, I think we’ve had enough excitement for one day.” he said, turning back towards the cabin.

Once inside, they started undressing. As soon as both of them had shed their gloves, scarves and hats, Hermann grabbed the coil of rope that Newton had left on a bench and that was still attached to him at the other end and pulled on it with a wicked smirk. It made his husband lose his balance and fall right into his waiting arms with a loud yelp.

“My hero.” murmured Hermann and kissed the other man softly. Newton chuckled and returned the affections, putting one of his hands on Hermann's cheek. It felt impossibly warm where it rested against his cheekbone. It was hardly the first time the mathematician wondered how it was possible for Newton to always be this hot. Literally as well as metaphorically.

They pulled away after a moment to finish shedding their winter clothes. Hermann immediately changed into a pair of warm pants, a sweater and a cardigan, while Newton simply took off everything besides thermoactive underwear and went to add some wood to their barely-lit fireplace. Hermann watched him blow onto the coals until a small fire appeared.

“Do you want some hot cocoa?” he asked, leaning on a doorway between their bedroom and a living room.

“Have I ever said ‘no' to your cocoa, Hermann?” chuckled the biologist, not taking his eyes off the fire. The mathematician smiled affectionately and went to prepare the hot drink. He put on some soft music at a low volume, making the cabin feel even cozier.

He was just trying to measure the exact amount of sugar he wanted to add when the smell of fire and a pair of very nice hands encircled him. Just a moment later he felt Newton’s face pressing into the crook of his neck, inhaling deeply.

“If you want me to do anything, you’ll have to let me move my hands.” said Hermann, patting his husband’s hand where it rested against his stomach. With a quiet whine Newton let go of him for just a moment to slip his hands under Hermann’s, squeezing him even harder.

The kitchen was really small, so Hermann didn’t need to move too much. What it meant was that Newton was able to practically glue himself to his back and sway gently with the music. As soon as their drinks were ready, they headed back into the living room.

It was already dark outside, Newton’s rescue mission taking up the last minutes of sunlight. It wasn’t late though, so neither of them really wanted to go to sleep yet. Instead, they laid down in a nest of pillows and blankets that appeared on the floor beneath the fireplace around the second day of their stay there.

Hermann had no idea where his spouse had found so many pieces of bedding in such a small and remote location, but he suspected he must’ve made some kind of undoubtedly shady deal with a few J-Techs that were stationed in a similar cabin a few miles from them. He never asked, though, and just cocooned himself into the fluffiest blanket he could find in the pile.

The only source of light in the room was the fireplace itself and a small lava lamp Newton insisted on bringing. It was giving a warm light that danced on the walls similarly to the way light from the flames did, but differently at the same time. There was just enough light to clearly see everything but the room still had the effect of a dark, cozy place.

The darkness muffled the world not unlike the snow outside did earlier in the day. Neither man wanted to speak, they just simply looked at each other with soft smiles and touched once in a while. To brush away a stray wisp of hair, to move one’s thumb over the other’s knuckles, just to constantly have some form of contact.

They lost all sense of time, but at some point Newton looked away from Hermann’s face long enough to look outside and smile even wider than before.

“Northern lights.” he said softly, pointing at the window. From their position on the floor it was easy to see the green light dancing in the clear, dark sky. They seemed to illuminate the stars, making them glow even brighter than normally. A small gasp escaped Hermann when he turned his head to look and he squeezed Newton’s hand.

The biologist found watching his husband’s reaction even more mesmerizing than the spectacle itself. The way his eyes lit up, the way his mouth fell partially open, finally the way his features softened until he looked nothing like the grumpy, old professor that yelled at everyone and took offense in the most insignificant things.

“Tell me about those stars.” asked Newton quietly when the lights dimmed a bit, but their effect on Hermann did not yet fade away.

“The sky here is different than the one we see, or rather would see due to the light pollution, in Hong Kong.” started the mathematician. His gentle voice and his accent, that Newton would mock mercilessly on daily basis, felt like a silky curtain enveloping them in a bubble of safety, where only they existed and nothing could hurt them.

It was so easy to forget the kaiju, the war, their work, their research, everything that wasn’t Hermann or his love for him. So Newton did. He looked at the sky and listened to his husband’s explanation of various constellations, for a moment forgetting that the whole world existed outside of their little cabin.


End file.
